Residents press board over library books for minors; county manager says juvenile titles moved, parental-control pilot expanding
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Summary
Members of the public told the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors they had documented sexually explicit titles available to minors at county libraries; county staff said the identified juvenile titles were moved to adult stacks and that parental-control and shelving changes are being pursued.
Public commenters at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meeting urged the board to act on sexually explicit material they say has been available to minors through county libraries. Dozens of speakers asked the board to remove titles, to investigate possible criminal violations and to include fuller public testimony in the official meeting minutes.
County Manager Jennifer Pekorski responded that county staff had moved certain juvenile sexual-health titles out of children's sections and into adult stacks and that staff are testing software and policies intended to limit access for minors.
Why it matters: callers invoked Arizona criminal statutes that prohibit furnishing harmful material to minors and asked elected officials to take enforcement steps. County staff said steps are already under way to change how titles are shelved and to expand parental-control software and other policies.
Public comments and allegations Speakers during the public-comment period asked the board to stop what they described as unlawful availability of explicit content to children. Several speakers cited Arizona Revised Statutes and urged the board or law enforcement to investigate. Comments included requests that meeting minutes record the statutory references and summaries of testimony, and that the board not "sanitize" minutes to omit allegations.
County response and board action County Manager Jennifer Pekorski told the supervisors: "We have removed all juvenile ****** health books from the children's section of the library, and they are now in the adult section of the library." She also said the county is expanding a parental-control pilot (first run at the Queen Creek library) to more branches, continuing to explore opt-in software options and considering an unattended-minors policy.
Board members emphasized decorum and encouraged residents to work with staff. Vice Chair Kate Brophy McGee and other supervisors thanked community volunteers and organizations that have worked with staff on potential solutions.
Minutes and public-record concerns Several speakers asked the board not to approve meeting minutes that they said omitted legal testimony and public-statute citations. County Attorney Tom Liddy responded to those claims in the meeting, saying in effect that some allegations were untrue; at one point he told speakers, "If you would write those things down and put them in the library, I assure you they would be in the fiction section." The board considered and approved the library-district minutes and related personnel items (agenda items 126 and 127) by unanimous vote.
What the board approved The board approved agenda items 126 and 127 (library district personnel and minutes). The motion to approve items 126 and 127 was moved by Vice Chair Kate Brophy McGee, seconded by Supervisor Stewart, and carried by voice vote.
Next steps and context County staff said they will continue to evaluate technical and policy options, including: - Expanding parental-control software that requires opt-in or other gating for specific titles. - Moving identified titles out of juvenile sections and into adult stacks where appropriate. - Considering a policy on unattended minors and continued communication with library stakeholders.
Ending Speakers said they would continue to monitor library collections and to bring evidence to law-enforcement or elected officials if they believe criminal statutes have been violated; staff said the county is taking immediate shelving and software steps while exploring longer-term policy fixes.